Rock Band - the reality

Think you're a rock star? This is how you really sound

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Guitar Hero became insanely popular due to its reality-distorting rock star vibe, a feeling that makes even a timid rookie playing on Easy feel like a shredding genius. Rock Band takes this effect even further, offering the sensation that everyone in the room is capable of singing the highest of notes and filling the most demanding drum solos in music history. It's quite a rush. Such a rush, in fact, it led us to award the game 10 out of 10.

But it's an illusion. The plastic instruments are always audible over the music, regardless of how high you crank the volume. The singer, unless he or she's genuinely skilled, does not sound just likeBrandon FlowersorThom Yorke. To drive this point home, and into the ground, simply watch what happens when you mute the TV.

This is what Rock Band really sounds like.

The lesson here is: crank the tunes. Keep the volume as loud as it can go. Play to your heart's content (may we recommend theendless setlist?), just bear in mind that there's a reason these musicians are millionaires and we're not.